AS SOON AS HE STEPPED through the door and was enveloped by the familiar smell of his house, Happy exhaled and kicked off his boots. The long day had taken its toll on him, but the club was in the process of planning another porn studio next to the Redwoody.

Jax still wanted to move away from guns, to take the club in a safer, more legitimate direction. As much as Happy was fascinated by guns and everything he could use to torture people, he shared the same opinion as Jax. One day the gun business would probably bite them in the ass and put every single son behind bars.

That wouldn't have bothered him in the past, when he was still the lone wolf. Prison was like a second home to him for a few years back in the day. He had learned to deal with having the same routine day in and day out, never being completely safe. But he now had a family to care for, that he wanted to be there for.

Except for a small light coming from the living room, the rest of the house was dark. Maybe Nola had fallen asleep on the couch, or had simply forgotten to turn off the light. With a shrug, Happy headed for the kitchen, finding a box of leftovers from dinner.

The note stuck to it brought a smile to his lips.

'In case it gets late and you're still hungry. Love you.'

He was actually starving. It was rare for him to not make it to dinner in time, but it still happened on some days. But today it had bothered him because he wanted to bring take out and then do the pregnancy tests with Nola, which she sent him a photo of this afternoon after she had bought them.

In fact, he had been in a good mood all day, despite all the stress. Something inside him told him that every single one of the three tests would be positive.

Just as he was about to put the box of leftovers in the microwave, he heard something from the living room, followed by a stiffled sob. So Nola must still be awake.

Dropping everything, he walked into the living room, his heart immediately aching when he saw Nola sitting on the couch, the dim light highlighting her tear-stained face, her legs drawn up against her chest. She didn't look up, just stared ahead at the fluffy carpet under the coffee table.

Ready to hurt whoever made her cry, Happy grabbed her chin, firmly but carefully making sure she had to look at him.

"What happened? Is Ruby okay? You?", he asked in a rasp, wanting to punch himself for asking; it was obvious she wasn't okay.

Nola finally snapped out of her stupor, her lips trembling as her eyes locked with Happy's. "Alden is outᅳ and he was here."

"What?!" Happy's bark echoed through the living room, loud enough to wake Ruby; but luckily that didn't happen. "Why the hell didn't you call me, woman?!"

"I'm sorry!" Huffing and puffing, Nola wiped some tears from her face with the sleeve of her hoodie. "Iᅳ I had to process this myself first and I didn't want Ruby to notice that something's wrong. Shit, Hap, he almost told her he was her father."

Happy was beside himself, his jaw clenched tightly, the muscles in it twitching as he ran his hand first over his head and then down his face. He wanted to punch a damn hole in the wall or break something to let off some steam.

But that would not only wake Ruby and scare her, but Nola too. Even after three years, his wife still flinched at quick movements or when someone raised their voice, still traumatized by her former relationship with Alden.

"I'm going to kill him", Happy seethed, a menacing gleam in his now almost black eyes, which in the next moment fell on the bruises on Nola's neck. "What else happened? Was that him?!"

Perhaps a little roughly, Happy grabbed Nola's chin again to turn her head to the side, first to the left, then to the right, sheer anger ripping through him. He didn't need more than his wife's heart-wrenching sobs as an answer.

"It doesn't matter", she choked out, her cheeks already red from constantly wiping away all the tears. "He was so convinced that he would get his rights for Ruby back. We have to stop this, Happy, we can't let him do this!"

"It does matter, Nola! He fuckin' abused you, again, and you wanna tell me that it doesn't matter?!", Happy roared, unable to stay calm any longer. But when he saw the panic flash in Nola's eyes, he rubbed his face before pulling her to her feet and then into his arms. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to yell at you. I'm just..."

"It's okay..I know..", Nola whispered against his chest, her voice thick with emotion, practically clinging to him. "I'm just as angry as you are, and I'm scared, Happy."

And Nola knew that Happy was just as scared for Ruby, he just wasn't good at showing how anxious he was. Instead such overwhelming feelings turned into anger; that was an emotion he could deal with easier.

In fact, Happy was at a loss for words, instead he was simply guided by anger. Alden would die, no question about it. There was no chance that he would ever allow a sociopath like Alden to come near his wife and daughter again.

More sobs tore through Nola's body, while he ran his hand soothingly through her blonde strands. "He won't get Ruby back, I promise you, little girl."

Sniffling hysterically, Nola lifted her head, pure desperation in her eyes. "He said he had therapy while he was inside. What if the judge sees that as progress and changes his mind?"

Happy nodded understandingly, but then cupped her face in his hands, his gaze as serious as ever. "Do you trust me?"

"What kind of question is that? You know I trust you", the blonde answered firmly as she tentatively closed her fingers around his wrists, then it dawned on her. Blinking a few times, the blonde looked up at her husband. "You're going to kill him, aren't you?"

"You really think I'm going to let him live after he showed up here, laid hands on my Old Lady and threatened to take our daughter away from us?" Happy let out a bitter huff, shaking his head. "I should've killed him back then. Bobby and I had planned itᅳ but we couldn't tell you about it at the time and then you reported Alden."

"That's why you didn't want me to go to the police back then." Finally, this mystery was solved too. Even then, she was so confused why no one wanted Alden to go to jail, but they had never told her about their plan. "Shit..I'm sorry, if I had knownᅳ"

"Would that really have made a difference, baby?" Happy interrupted her, rubbing his thumbs gently into her skin. "Would you have let us kill him just like that?"

"Iᅳ I don't know. I mean, I wanted to get away from him, I had no idea how your club worked, what you guys do", she explained softly, her sniffles and sobs slowly subsiding. "But I would've never wanted you or any of the guys to end up in prison because of me. And I still don't want that, Happy."

Her stern, worried look caused his lips to twitch into a smile, as strange as it sounded. She cared about him and that felt good. "You said you trusted me, so do that, Nola. I know what I'm doing, what I have to do so it doesn't fall back on me, the club or anyone else. No one can declare him dead if they don't find a body."

Dread formed in Nola's stomach, her shoulders tensed as a shiver ran down her spine. "I can't lose you, baby. Please, whatever you do, do it in a way that allows you to stay with Ruby and me."

Happy leaned in, tilting her head up in his hands before claiming her lips, the kiss fleeting but full of affection. "I'm not going anywhere, little girl."

Leaning her forehead against his, Nola stole another kiss from his lips, closed her eyes and finally nodded. "Alright, I've got your back no matter what."

Happy grunted appreciatively, pulling her right back into his arms. With his chin resting on top of her head, he stared at the wall in front of him, pictures of his little family hanging on it; his little family that he would protect with his life if he had to.

It was Nola who pulled away first after a few minutes and looked up at him, her tears now dried, but the shock sat still deep. "We, uh, should do the tests. I think it would be important to know if I'm actually pregnant, especially now that Alden's back."

"Are you sure you want to do them today?", Happy inquired. For a moment the anger faded, replaced by the excitement and anticipation that rushed through his veins.

"Yeah, I want clarity", Nola hummed, slipping her hand into his before pulling him with her towards the bathroom. "Besides, I know that you can hardly wait to find out if you're going to be a father again."

"Maybe you're right about that", Happy croaked, and the two shared the smallest, lightest grin despite the tense situation. "Want me to stay here?", he asked as they entered the bathroom, turning on the light.

Nola nodded quickly, taking a deep breath. "Yes please, I'm way too nervous to do this alone."

Happy grinned slightly as he closed the door and then leaned against the sink. "I still think we'll have to look for a bigger house soon."

For a moment Nola forgot her fear and rolled her eyes, a soft laugh falling from her lips. "Whatever you want to believe."

The former Munson woman grabbed the cup, that she had already placed earlier in the bathroom, from the sink and asked Happy to unpack all the tests while she did the rest.

ᅳ

THE TWO STARED AT THE three positive results with mixed feelings, then their eyes met and all doubts were forgotten instantly. A smile formed on Happy's lips and Nola's eyes began to light up as realization set in.

They would become parents againᅳ at least if the tests didn't show any false results.

"Are you okay, little girl?", was Happy's first question as he grabbed her wrist and pulled her closer, barely able to suppress the bursting joy of becoming a father again.

"Yeah, I always wanted at least two kids and I have the perfect husband for that. So why be afraid?" Nola's smile grew wider as Happy exhaled in relief. Contentedly, she wrapped her arms around his neck, rubbing the tip of her nose over his stubble. "No matter how scary the situation is right now, I'm looking forward to the baby. Nevertheless, we should get the whole thing confirmed by a doctor."

"Maybe I don't look like it, but you have no idea how happy you're making me by giving me all this, Nola", Happy replied, genuine sincerity in his rasp as he tucked a loose strand of her hair behind her ear. "Call a doctor tomorrow, make an appointment. And I wanna be there, too."

"I'd give you anything you want, baby. After all, you gave me everything I've ever dreamed of", she whispered, snuggling her cheek against his palm as his fingers brushed her face. "We should take Ruby too, I want her to be there from the start. It's about her brother or sister, after all."

Happy pulled her in, pressing a kiss to her lips, his hand slipping to the back of her neck, careful not to cause her any more pain. "She'll be a great big sister, I just know that already."

"I have no doubt about that, although I'm sure she'll get annoyed sometimes too", Nola chirped with a slight grin before her face fell, the panic from earlier coming back. "We can't lose our baby, Hap. And by that I mean Ruby."

Happy shook his head quickly, grunting as he stared down at his Old Lady. "I told you I'd take care of it, Nola."

"You can't kill Alden right now", she murmured, lowering her voice even though Ruby was fast asleep in the other room. "The cops would suspect us immediately because we have a damn motive. So you'll have to wait a few weeks if not months and a lot can happen in the meantime."

The feeling of helplessness crept back into Nola's bones, her heart again heavy in her chest as fresh tears pooled in her eyes. "She doesn't deserve to suffer because of her sociopathic sperm donor."

Happy's lips were already parting, but Nola raised a hand after untying her arms from his neck. She nervously kneaded her hands, pacing up and down the small room, wondering how best to broach the subject. There was only one way Ruby would be truly safe.

"Okay, well, that's a lot to ask and you don't have to do it..", the blonde began, her voice trembling with nervousness. "I already looked into it back then, right after Alden lost his rights to Ruby, whether it would be possible for Ruby to be adopted without Alden's consent."

Nola held up a hand again as Happy's mouth dropped open slightly, the first words already on the tip of his tongue, the surprise clearly visible in his expression.

"Please Happy, you have to adopt herᅳ otherwise I fear that Alden will try everything to get his rights back. You're already her dad, always have been, no one else", she said quickly, stumbling over her own words as she panicked; afraid that he might say no. "Look, I know it's a lot to askᅳ"

"Would you just shut up for a second, woman?", Happy finally cut her off with an irritated shake of his head before he pulled her closer by her arm, taking her face in his hands. "That's all I've been fuckin' waiting for, Nola. That little girl is mine and they're going to have to put a bullet in my head before I let anyone take her away from me; from us."

Staring down at his speechless wife, Happy let out a soft grunt, pulling her even closer. "You really thought I wouldn't want to adopt her? My own daughter? What the hell, Nola?"

Sure, he knew Ruby wasn't biologically his; but that little girl was his daughter from the day she was born. She was his first born, his babyᅳ and he'd die for her of that would safe her. That alone is what made him a father.

"I mean..I wanted to ask you for a while, actually since Ruby turned one. Butᅳ I was scared it was too soon for you", she admitted softly, guilt creeping up her spine as she lowered her head. "So I was kinda waiting for you to ask because I would've known it's what you want."

Happy's gaze darkened for a moment, his scowl growing. Then his features softened again, a sigh slipping past his lips. "I love that little girl since day one, woman. I was afraid to ask because I wasn't sure if adopting her is what you wanted."

"We really should talk more often about serious things like this", Nola murmured sheepishly, clearing her throat. "Ruby could already be officially your daughter. Now it'll take a while until we're through with everything. Hopefully before Alden gets a say in this."

"Don't worry about it. Tomorrow morning we'll get all the documents and applications we need, okay?" Happy told her determinedly, looking down at her. "I love you, Nola, and Rubyᅳ and our baby. And nothing or no one will ruin what we have, understand?"

"I love you tooᅳ and our babies." Too moved by his words, Nola could barely manage to say more. Instead, she just swallowed hard and nodded vigorously, wanting nothing more than peace for her little family.

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